Experience wine as music
Growing up in the heart of Oregon wine country, musician Forest Mountain Lion found he could hear the taste of each wine and play them as a flourishing cascade of notes on the piano. The complex bouquet of each wine and character over time translating intuitively to the piano’s notes and chords: Rushing highs, trembling lows, and the tension of consonance, dissonance, and rhythm at the heart of a good wine’s originality. After studying classical piano and composition, Forest is now sharing this magic with the world, bringing an entirely new sensory experience to the world of wine.
Thus, Vinisthesia was born, from the Italian word vini, for wines, and the rare phenomenon of synesthesia, where two or more of the five senses meld into one.
How it works: Simply take a sip of the wine and press play! Each sound signature lasts just as long as the taste of one sip. Visit McBeth in person, or purchase their wines online or in stores.
2023 Pinot Gris
Exploding upward from A Minor Seven, a high melody emerges almost immediately, passionately cresting over B as the harmony shifts between A and D Minor. A long emotional melody captures the wine’s exuberant poignance, repeating again an octave below as the wine steadily loses power, finally coming to rest with a summary of its emotion introduced as the mysterious, rich quality of D Minor Seven below a rare added B.
2022 Riesling
A Minor Seven flows gracefully upward, supported by C, blooming into an expressive melody with a conversational character – a memorable repeating pattern complemented by high punctuating notes. The signature repeats as it dissolves, retaining its character while shedding complexity until it relaxes lower and leaves a long sustain.
2022 Pinot Noir
C Major rises from low piano, supported by G, to peak mid piano, winding higher and higher between and A Minor and C. The melody crests on D before cascading through a single melodic arc, ending in three quiet yet aspirational leaps, first from A to the B an octave above - nostalgic for the melody that came before, then from B to B as it releases all tension and comes to rest on C Major Seven.
2022 Tulipan Pinot Noir Rosé
A melody, sweet yet containing great depth, begins immediately in octaves as C Major Seven is outlined mid-piano with a two-octave arpeggio completing a rare 14-note rhythmic pattern. Together, the ethereal yet playful melody and shifting harmony pattern create an almost hypnotic, rhapsodic mood, full of joy while enclosing a story. The harmony subtly changes from C to A Minor Seven, as the melody is revoiced more subtly before the signature eventually slows to a long, lingering sustain.
2021 Pinot Noir
Starting low, D Major rushes upward powerfully with E Minor Nine as an adventurous and deliberate departure, still supported by D. The signature arcs dramatically and then cascades through a distinctive B Minor Seven rhythmic arpeggio, evoking stars in the night sky, to a final rest mid-piano on B. A wine with breadth and interest, moving sonically between multiple centers, while retaining a consistent emotional thread. A friendly wine, wide open and welcoming, producing a highly approachable sound signature.